Do young people today have difficulty telling the time on analogue clocks?

[Draconis]

I've heard this from a couple of people now and wondered how much truth there is in it

So be cause you have pots of clocks in your wall.you assume everyone does🤔
I'm 50 this year I can tell.the time on an analogue clock because it was drummed into Kevin primary school ,and digital.watches were a very new thing when I wss a kid
These days though most kids( well apart from mums net kids) have their own phone and other devices that shows the time there really is no need to.be able to.tell the time on a analogue clock.

Me in * not kevin!

I like the ticking of a clock. I find it relaxing. We have two ticking clocks in the bedroom and 2 in the living room!

Why?

Yes a lot of them can't tell the time. They are so used to times on a phone.

They are 16+

I find it quite sad. For me analogue clocks and watches are so much nicer than digital ones.

We have clocks in every room in our house (in some rooms there are 2 or even 3) and all, apart from 1, are analogue.

No way would I want a digital watch. I have 8 watches all analogue.

How sad too that most youngsters are using their phones to find out the time. Not surprising though when so many can't bear to be parted from them. I literally never use my phone for the time

We have no clocks in the house. I don't like them. I don't wear a watch. Dc can still read analogue clocks - we practised with them when out and about and they both had analogue watches.

They can tell.the " fucking" time just not on an analogue clock
Tell.why do.you think they need to.be able to.read an analogue clock ,?Im 50 in a few months and whilst I can read an analogue clock the only one I read is the big " fuck " off one on the town hall clock tower what is depressing is all the faux concern about this and the usual.mums net smugness .

Why is it sad?

It's not sad that they use digital or their phones. No sadder than that they are not using sundials.

I do think it's an important skill, though. It teaches a certain way of thinking about time - visually represented in 60 minutes, broken down into 12 equal parts. Helpful for language like 'quarter past' and recognising fractions in time. Also helpful for directions (head towards 8 o'clock; hands on the wheel at 10 and 2) and links up with compass points. (Make a quarter turn clockwise from NW).

It should be taught at school and reinforced at home. But I would not expect or care if everyone then uses their phones to tell the time. I do.

Interestingly the clock icon on my iphone is a working analogue clock (I assume that that is the same for everyone with an iPhone?)

I made the icon bigger and it sits on the first screen so I can easily see the time. I find I refer to that icon much more often than the digital time that appears at the top of the screen but in very small font.

it feels a bit strange to think of owning an iPhone but not being able to interpret what the clock icon is telling you.

I don't have an iPhone but SURELY you can change the clock interface??

Yep. Even the one's who wear an analogue watch. It really amused me when a student wearing a watch took her phone out to tell the time.

@boobot1

They learn how to tell the time in primary but forget it because they use their phones.

Yep my 13 year old sister can't, isn't very motivated to learn how as she usually has her phone on her.

The 21 year old struggles as well.

@Fizzology - the time on the Lock Screen is digital, but in the phone itself I think the clock icon itself is always analogue.

Not much stranger than clicking the save icon when you've never seen a 3.5 inch floppy disk! I imagine analogue clock faces will persist in some form as many people appreciate the aesthetics of a well-designed analogue face but in many cases we will increasingly encounter clock faces as skeuomorphs, like the disk, phone, and camera icons.

We don’t have an analogue clock (can’t bear the ticking) and I don’t wear a watch.

DC can tell the time on an analogue clock but it’s probably not one of their quicker skills. Same for me tbh, I have to stop and think and I do struggle with those numberless clock faces.

I suspect that in 30 years there will be no analogue clocks except in private homes and schools will no longer teach it. That’s probably the way it ought to go anyway. They don’t teach lb and oz any more do they, despite many recipes still being in imperial?

I would say the majority of secondary students struggle with an analogue clock - it’s just not part of their lives - it causes real issues in exams if there is only an analogue clock - my dc’s school used a digital clock this year (it’s a selective school so nothing to do with ability). - My dc can read then but not without giving it some thought.

We have an analogue clock at work which students need to use when signing in / out and the majority struggle with it.

I personally find it sad because digital clocks are just so very ugly. Don't like digital watches either.

Of course they can read digital clocks and watches because you would have to be an absolute idiot not to be able to.

Yes I also think it is sad and depressing that they all have to use their phones to check the time but then most people are addicted to their phones anyway.

I think you’ll find that’s still telling the time! An analogue clock isn’t the only way.

Ah, now I get it! Inthought you meant the clock interface, but yiunmeant the icon. :)

I have seen teenagers tap their wrists to indicate that they would like to know the time. Even though the only timekeeping device they have ever known is in their pocket or bag or tucked into a bralette strap. 😁

I think that's a matter of taste. Mid-century digital flip clocks are a design classic and I personally think they are a very attractive option (and I love a well-designed analogue clock too).

I'm quite shocked by this thread. I always assumed that telling the time was one of the things parents automatically teach their children to do before they start school, like tying shoelaces, counting, etc.

I made the icon bigger and it sits on the first screen so I can easily see the time. I find I refer to that icon much more often than the digital time that appears at the top of the screen but in very small font.

How do you do that, please?